petre_petrov1

Basically, the preceding question asks: Can (automatic) FEC be set on the flash itself, or only from the camera's controls? (In this case, I am talking about a mounted flash, not a wireless slave.)

Thank you guys! This was very helpful indeed. Michael, since you are using the Promaster, may I venture another (possibly stupid) question? I do not have the manual for the 7000M, and for that reason cannot understand what it means to reduce the flash by 1/2, 1/4, etc. Does this reduce the overall output (thus saving battery power), or does it mean that the flash underexposes by 1, 2, etc. stops (thus functioning as a FEC)?

Hello, I hope you can help me with this quandry, which may have an obvious

answer for some (if so, excuse the stupid question):

 

I am using a Pz-1p with a Promaster FTD 7000M flash as a slave unit (triggered

by the built-in flash). The camera manual says that exposure compensation can

be set with either the built-in unit or a mounted one. But it says nothing

about how a slave strobe is handled. If I set a fill-flash compensation (-1,

say), will this command the built-in flash, or will it be commmunicated to the

slave as well?

 

Thanks!

If the Samsung GX 1S is a rebadged Pentax DS, are the 18-55 and 50-

200 Schneider D-Xenon lenses offered with it simply rebadged Pentax

lenses? They certainly look as if they are: the external design is

the same, except for the blue band at the base (which on the Pentax

lenses is green).

Whenever a question comes up about a Pentax zoom lens in this range, I preach one and the same thing: get the SMC-F 70-210 f4-5.6. It hasn't been in production for a while, but it turns up on eBay with some regularity. By far the best thing by any manufacturer in this zoom and price range. You can get it for under $200 in mint condition, and this will be the best money you ever spent. The focusing is a bit slow, the build leaves something to be desired, but the image quality, ah!!! This lens does something with light and color that is pure magic. I have two, in case one fails. Although I own some of Pentax's best glass, this is the lens I love most. I will be clutching it when they put me to my grave!

Well, I gave the camera not to Pentax, but to a local repair service. Now I am waiting for the results.

Don, I don't think that the problem is with the camera. Many Pentax lenses are known to focus "past infinity" (if that makes any logical sense). This is not a "flaw." On the contraray: lenses were specifically designed like that in order to accomodate radical changes in temperature. Hard it is to imagine, your lens--like any other element in the universe--shirnks when the whether is cold, and expands when it's hot. Taking this into account, designers have made "infinity" not a single point on the focus scale, but rather a zone. It means that you will have to be careful when focusing to infinity (rather than just yanking the focus ring to the end), but it also means that you won't be screwed if you happen to shoot in Alaska or Sahara.

Which version of the 50/1.4 are you looking at? The "A" version is, arguably, the best. For the price it currently goes for, it would be a great sin NOT to get it. No Pentax shooter should live without the "fast fifty." These will be the best 60-90 bucks you will ever spend. Even if, according to the Germans, the 40/2.8 has some slight advantage (I cannot imagine it, for the A50/1.4 is as good as they get), this is purely academic. Notice also--and this is far from negligible--the 50 will give you a viewfinder that is twice as bright. Finally, on a DSLR, the 50 will become an exquisite, fast portrait lens, while the 40 will behave as a longish normal lens.

Alan,

 

my initial comment was based on the impression that Pentax is moving backward on the market for bodies (istD-->istDS-->istDL), while seemingly moving forward on the D lens market. For a lineup such as they are preparing, I would like to see at least something similar to the new D200. Is that too much to ask?

What I feel is lacking? Let's see... A body with full-frame capability; a body with more than 6MP; a body with more than 3fps; a body with flash sync above 1/150; a body with an adequate buffer for continuous shooting... Should I go on, or should we just say: a professional DSLR body?

http://www.digital.pentax.co.jp/en/lens/roadmap.pdf

 

The road to the future seems bright. The only question remains: where

is the DSLR body that will be on a par with such an impressive lineup

of lenses?

Jochen,

 

I appreciate your support for my impending bancruptcy :-). Yes, I have the winder, but even if I fix the camera I will be afraid to use it, since it was the winder that (apparently) started the whole electrical problem. The only thing that convinces me to spend another $250 on the LX is that Pentax will probably never produce a better SLR body.

Yesterday I finally decided to give the camera to a professional repair service. They called me 5 mins ago and told me that the problem is with the mainspring of the mirror (not with the electronics). According to them, the entire mirror box has to be rebuilt. $205 plus tax is what it will cost me. Now I have a financial decision to make.

Guys, guys! You will drive poor Graeme into the ground! He has just got a small and inexpensive Pentax camera, and your first suggestions for glass are the 85/1.4, the 300/4 ED, and the 100/2.8 Pentax-F (FA) macro!!! It's one thing to lose your Pentax virginity, it's quite another to send the Pentax gang-bang squad on Graeme's first date! Why don't you throw the 200/2.8 ED into the mix: that way you'll make sure Graeme sells his family in order to join Pentax's!

Graeme, if you want to keep your family and your house, here are my budget-minded suggestions:

 

Wide: SMC 28/3.5 (you should be able to get it for around $60; it is absolutely beatiful)

 

Normal: SMC-A (or M) 50/1.7 (don't pay more than $40; for $60-80 you should be able to get the 50/1.4, which is a tad brighter and perhaps a tad better)

 

Macro: If you want to go really cheap, get the 100/3.5 macro which is currently sold under several different labels (Vivitar, Promaster, etc.). It is very sharp and highly underrated. The MF version cost me $50 on eBay. It's plasticky, but hey: macro work is not a high-risk environment.

 

Short tele/portrait: for a start, you may consider using your macro as a portrait lens. From the Pentax lineup of short teles, I would suggest the (K)135/3.5: it is very good and it won't break the bank ($40-60, depending on the condition).

 

Long tele: you should decide how long you want to go. If you want to shoot sports, even 200mm may prove enough. For birds, you may have to go over 400mm. The Pentax lenses in the super-long range come at a high price. The SMC-M 200/4 is very affordable ($50-80) and, like all Pentax primes, excellent.

Asim, thanks enormously for your effort to help. After your intervention, I am increasingly convinced that it is an electrical problem. Let me review the situation and answer yours and Douglas' questions:

 

1. When the problem occured, the old batteries may have been low.

2. I replaced them, but this did not eliminate the problem.

3. When I turn off the camera, the LED stays on in the lowest position "Lt.B". This seems to confirm that the problem is electrical. The light indicator is supposed to go off when the camera is turned off, right?

4. After one night of being on, the red light is now flickering (batteries drained?)

5. I tried every imaginable speed on the shutter dial: no change.

6. I tried doing what you, Asim, suggested: rotating the ISO and compensation dials. No change.

7. The self-timer can be activated. The release button activates it, but when the timer runs out the mirror does not come down.

8. The mirror lock-up can be activated, but nothing happens. When I disengage it, the mirror continues to stay up.

I am pretty certain that I don't have the classical "sticky-mirror" problem. It's not that the mirror is delayed in coming down. It simply is stuck in the up position. My guess is that it has to do with the camera's function of locking the mirror when the batteries are low and the shutter speed is 1/60 or below. Today I went and got new batteries, but the problem remains.

Mounted and dismounted the winder several times. Rotated the speed dial and played with the MLU lever. Also took out the batteries and put them back in again. No improvement.

Today I got a winder for my LX, and while I was playing with it, the

mirror on the camera locked in the upward position. I think it was a

temporary interruption of power from the winder, but I am not sure. In

any case, the mirror is now locked and I cannot bring it down. The

lever is also locked, so pressing the shutter achieves nothing.

Perhaps, this is something very simple, and I already feel like an

idiot. Is anyone out there less clueless than me? Your advice will be

highly appreciated.

 

PP

To add to what I said above: the SMC-F is at least 3 times lighter than the Sigma 2.8, at least 3 times cheaper, and--to repeat--optically better. The downsides are obvious: it's "darker"; the autofocus is slower and more hesitant. But when you get your prints back, then you will know.<div></div>

Chris,

 

I have one answer for you: buy the SMC Pentax-F 70-210 f4-5.6 and put the whole dilemma to rest. I just covered an event shooting alternately with the Sigma APO 70-210 f2.8 and the SMC-F. The Pentax is better optically, hands down. It is razor-sharp throughout the range, has great bokeh and great color rendition. Drop me a line and I can send you some sample photos.

Bob A. is voicing what sounds like a sound opinion: "POW is not BPOW." In another thread, Brian M. gave the same argument to defend the choice of a POW by a less-than-honest person. If the argument stands, it really makes no difference what or whose photo is chosen, as long as it generates productive discussion. Unfortunately, the argument falls with the simple reminder that POW gets gargantuan publicity. To this moment, the POW has 171418 views. With that kind of exposure, does it really matter if there are some negative opinions under the photo? I am sure that tamtam tamtam (or Ahmet, or whatever his real name is) could care less.

Al, your question is not well posed. You shouldn't be asking about the camera. You can take any SLR to a concert and get great pictures; and even with the F5 you can get bad ones. The question is really about 1) lenses; 2) film; 3) proper technique.

1) Ideally, you should get a f2.8 zoom.

2) Fuji Press 800 is a great fast film. The grain is there, but you would have to enlarge quite a bit to see it.

3) A monopod is a must. You can shoot at 1/60 or even venture into 1/30.

By far the best in the 70-300 range (and this price bracket) is the now almost extinct Sigma APO 75-300mm f4.5-5.6. Note: not 70-300, and not f4. If you ever find this lens, grab it. I have it in Pentax mount and consider these the best $60 I ever spent. It is a bulky, somewhat akward-looking, metal-barrel lens with rotating front element. I suspect that it is identical in optical formula with the Nikon 75-300mm, also a great performer, but more expensive.

Here's the Sigma, offered on eBay right now, in Canon mount:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3880104821&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

I want to suggest a 100mm f3.5 macro lens that is currently being sold under variety of brand names (Phoenix, Vivitar, Promaster, etc.). I had the Vivitar in Pentax mount, used it for a month, then sold it on eBay when I got the Pentax-F 100mm f2.8 Macro. Although it is silly to have two 100mm macros, and although the Pentax IS better, something in me still regrets selling the Vivitar. The shots I got with it were simply phenomenal, especially considering the price. I think I paid $48 for it!!! The lens is available in both AF and MF versions (optically identical) and comes with a 1:1 attachment that screws on the front (without it, you get to 1:2). The AF version is around $130. The MF version should be quite a bit cheaper (I personally never used AF for macro work). For that kind of price, the lens is an absolute steal. You will save $100 or more from you budget and you will be thrilled with the sharpness of your images. If you want, I can send you some of the ones I shot; just drop me an email.

Here is the lens in Olympus mount, currently auctioned on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3344&item=3879033421&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I know for certain that it's not fungus. It looks just the way cold glass looks if you breathe warm air onto it. It is definitely on the inner elements, very close to where the diaphragm blades are. Yes, oil is a possibility, but don't oil spots show colored reflections?